Scammers (thieves trying to trick victims) are targeting international students in Southern California. Scammers posing as local police officers, agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), travel companies, apartment leasing companies, and immigration agencies – such as the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and U.S. Embassies abroad are contacting students and demanding money and personal information.
Never provide personal information or money to anyone who has contacted you by phone, email or the internet claiming you have violated your immigration status or owe taxes and must transfer money through Western Union, or other companies, in order to rectify your immigration status. For more information on these types of scams, read the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) most recent alerts or browse scams by topic.